


What a tangled web we weave

by MemphisBelle



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: F/M, Not Canon Compliant, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:14:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25701916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MemphisBelle/pseuds/MemphisBelle
Summary: Setting out to Jackson, your mission was simple. Find Joel Miller, keep an eye on the town, and report back to Abby. What could go wrong?
Relationships: Joel (The Last of Us)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26





	1. First we practice to decieve

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! Welcome to my little journey into the world of the last of us.
> 
> I have been a long time reader on here but now I'm trying my hand at being a first-time writer!
> 
> I have no idea where this story is going but it was a fun idea that popped in my head.
> 
> There will be spoilers for both The Last of us parts 1 and 2, so proceed at your own peril! However, I will choose to take liberties with certain parts of the story.
> 
> That being said, let's dive in, I hope you enjoy!

***  
2037 - Autumn  
***

You slowly edged your way across the stone ledge, the ground crunching beneath your feet. There was a crisp autumn wind that was swirling falling leaves back to life. The bite in the air made you glad you had brought your scarf and hat along, despite the many jokes Manny had made at your expense over your choice of attire.

So, this is Jackson, huh?

Crouching down, you unzipped your backpack and pulled out your binoculars. Looking down on the town below, you didn’t know what you had been expecting but it was certainly nothing on this scale. Abby’s description had not done Jackson justice. Calling the settlement, a town was misleading, this was a small city, the biggest of its kind that you had ever seen. From the number of houses in the community alone, you had to guess that they were a hundred strong at least. Any thoughts you had of sneaking in had evaporated.

They had working electricity, a lot of it. So much so that at night, the area twinkled in a way no city had since the world had turned upside down. You couldn’t stop yourself from being impressed. True, Isaac ran a tight ship and he had managed to turn the stadium in Seattle into a working home for the many who had chosen to follow him. But these people had built their community from scratch and had managed to keep it going. They were resilient, resourceful.

They had an established daily patrol, which you had observed over the past week. Leaving at first light, they left in several pairs. They headed along the creek, some groups diverging to the radio tower nearby and ski lodge. No one had come to the mansion you had holed up in, about 2 miles behind you. You were surprised; the place was well fortified and had already been cleared of any infected before you had arrived. Still, you weren’t complaining, the lack of company provided you with some valuable time to observe Jackson from a distance and devise your plan. It looked like your best bet would be to try and happen across one of the patrol groups and see if you could talk your way into being taken back with them. Not your greatest idea but you didn’t have a lot to work with. It had taken you three weeks to reach Jackson. You had lost your horse halfway through crossing Montana, after running into a particularly persistent group of hunters. The rest of the journey had been slow going. You wish you had someone along with you, but Isaac had made it clear that only one person would be spared for this trip. Take it or leave it. You knew which battles were worth fighting and this wasn’t your hill to die on.

It was around a month ago Abby had come to you telling you she finally had a lead on the location of the smuggler who had killed her father two years ago in Salt Lake City. You first met Abby and the rest of her group when they arrived in Seattle after the massacre at St Mary’s hospital. The news had traveled faster than the group had. You’d heard the stories, Marlene dead. A mass of fireflies shot down. All hope of a cure extinguished. You had never bought into the fireflies’ cause, but you had crossed paths with Marlene on more than one occasion. You were unable to deny that a world without her seemed a little less bright. It was a year after the Salt Lake crew arrived that you found out the full extent of the tragedy that had befallen Abby that day. Her father, Jerry Anderson, had been killed and the man responsible had escaped. You thought back to your own family, your own ghosts that haunted you. So when Abby had come to you asking for help, you knew you weren’t going to be able to turn her down.

***  
One month earlier - Seattle  
***

*Knock, knock, knock*

“It’s open!” You called out from your bunk.

You dog-eared the page of your book and swung your legs out to the floor. Your room had been adapted from an old VIP booth in the stadium, a duplicate of the other spaces located across the level. Your bunk was positioned just to the right of a large glass window, facing down to the pitch below. You could see other WLF members down below preparing the grounds for the incoming livestock. Yet another step in establishing a permanent set up for your growing community. The walls themselves were bare, painted off white and there was an absence of any personal touches, bar the well-worn photograph that you kept pinned on the wall opposite your pillow. You had left most of your possessions behind in your childhood home. They only served to remind you of the past, of a life you could never get back. Your role with the WLF kept you away from your home base more often than not, scoping out the surrounding area and feeding back to Isaac.

Yawning, you stretched your arms out, the tell-tale pop of your arms giving away that you had spent more time reading than you should have. Rising to your feet, you started making your way towards the door. It opened before you could get there and you looked up to see Abby enter your room, closing the door behind her. She pivoted on her feet and came into the room.

“Hey, uh, can I talk to you for a second?” asked Abby.

“Sure” you replied questioningly. “Take a seat.”

You headed over to the kitchenette in the corner and poured two glasses of water. Glancing over your shoulder, you realised she was nervous. You had never seen Abby so on edge before. Her eyes were flickering to various points in your room, looking anywhere but you as she made her way to the small, circular dining table in the centre of the room.

“You’re reading that again?” she asks, nodding towards your copy of Walter Scott poetry on the bed.

You felt your lips twitch up in a smirk, following her line of sight.

“Yeah, there’s not many options at the end of the world.” You glanced back at Abby, your smile falling a little, noticing the look of unease on her face. You made your way back, placing a glass in front of her.

“What can I do for you?” you asked, settling into the seat opposite.

It wasn’t until you saw her reach for the glass that you realised that she was shaking. You reached out to put your hand on her arm.

“Abby?”

She jerked away slightly and looked up at you slowly, taking a deep breath.

“I got a lead.”

Your widened, understanding immediately what Abby meant. She had spent two years tirelessly clawing at any information that came her way. You had heard stories of the smuggler being sighted anywhere from Canada to Mexico. The ghost stories never amounted to anything, only serving to leave Abby that little more heartbroken each time.

“Where?” Is all you asked, prying gently.

“A town called Jackson. Out in Wyoming.” She replied.

You nodded your head and took a sip from your own glass, pondering over your next words carefully.

“Who’s the source?” you asked, with only the slightest trace of scepticism lacing your tone. If Abby noticed, she was polite enough to let this slide by unnoticed.

“One of the traders back at base. Mentioned he was passing through there on his way here and that the town had two new arrivals since his last visit. A man with a 15-year-old girl in tow” Abby said, recounting the tale

You met her gaze taking a moment before replying.

“I highly doubt your smuggler is the only man in this world traveling with a 15-year-old girl, how is this a lead exactly?”

“True,” Abby conceded, “but this man just so happens to be the brother-in-law of the town’s leader,” she says, her eye’s lighting with excitement. “A woman who happens to be married to a man named Tommy” she finished with a grin.

You crossed your arms, resting your chin on your palm, you raised an eyebrow “So?” you questioned in return.

“Back in Salt Lake, Marlene told us about the man bringing the girl to the hospital. A smuggler from Boston who was the brother of a former firefly she used to work with. He was called Tommy” she finished.

Now that did ring a bell. You recalled Marlene mentioning Tommy on several occasions. You knew she felt the loss deeply when he decided to leave the fireflies behind. The lead might not have been much, but you had to agree it was something.

You straightened up and inclined your head. “Who else knows?”

Abby lent back in her chair, circling the rim of the glass in front of her. “Owen, now you. I haven’t had the chance to tell the others.”

That didn’t surprise you, of course Owen was the first person she told. You couldn’t stop the small huff of laughter that escaped you as you looked her up and down.

“Of course,” you replied, giving her a smirk. You leaned back in your own seat, balancing on the back legs, noticing the slight blush creeping up Abby’s cheeks. She was so easy to torment sometimes. You were happy that Abby finally had her lead, but you did this involve you and why was she in such a hurry to let you know? You had grown close to Abby sure, forming a friendship with her as you helped her through training. But you expected Manny and Nora to know at least. That group had been tight from the moment they arrived.

“No secrets between the Salt Lake crew,” Isaac’s voice sounded in your head.

Something was amiss here, but you were willing to bide your time. “What’s the plan?”

Abby rose to her feet, grabbing the back of her chair, her fingers tensing so badly you could practically hear the wood splintering beneath her fingers.

“The plan was to get the group together and leave at first light tomorrow.” She stated, her jaw clenched tight.

You couldn’t help but give a short chuckle at that.

“Without clearing it with Isaac, no fucking chance. No way he would let a group that size leave, especially not with the Seraphites acting up again.”

Abby lets out an impatient huff, her body tensing in annoyance.

“I know” she grinds out “That’s why I said that was the plan. I went to Isaac, made my case, it’d be a quick trip a month at most, quicker with a group too. He said that he understood what this meant to me, but he couldn’t afford to let that many people go. Especially me.”

Makes sense you thought. Not long after arriving, Abby had caught Isaac’s attention. She was ruthless and dedicated. Nothing existed for her outside of her training. She had risen through the ranks at a fast pace, leading her own groups in no time. You had been paired with her on occasion for various assignments and witnessed first-hand why Abby had become known as Isaac’s top Scars killer.

You looked at her expectantly, motioning with your hand for her to continue.

“We came to a compromise. Isaac agreed to send one person to scope the area out.”

Picking up your glass, you took a small sip, anticipating the answer before you asked your next question.

“What does this have to do with me?”

It was Abby’s turn to laugh at you now.

“Don’t play dumb, you know what this has to do with you. You told me how you used to work in Boston. You’ll know if it’s him” she beseeched you.

“Abby” you breathe out exasperated,” I said I know of him, I don’t know him.”

Releasing the chair from her grip, Abby sat back down opposite you, “You’re my best chance of finding Joel Miller and you know it.”

Joel Miller. It was your turn to look away. You weren’t lying to Abby when you said you’d heard of him. You doubted there was anyone from the Boston QZ who hadn’t heard of him and his partner Tess. Whilst Boston was never your home base, your work took you there often enough. Your encounters with the duo had been few and far between.

Rubbing your eyes, you sighed in an effort to clear your head.

“Isaac mentioned recommended you, you know how much he trusts you. You’re the only one capable of seeing this through,” Abby paused, worrying her lip before continuing “you’re the only other person that I trust to go, please.”

Please. Abby never asked anyone for anything, the sheer fact she had sought you out today showed you just how much she needed this. You met her gaze and saw the pain and longing on her face. That was your face the night you found your own father.

Little star…Come home.

You shook your head, forcing the memories away. Silence stretching across the room, you break it first.  
“What do I need to know?” you ask with a resigned sigh.

You hear Abby release her breath. Before she can stop herself, she rises from her chair and envelopes you in a tight hug. You hear her breath hitch.

“Thank you, Aurora.”

***  
Present day - Jackson  
***

Two days after that conversation, you found yourself heading for Jackson. Abby’s plan was for you to establish roots in Jackson and seek out Joel. Her hopes were that your connections in the community would provide valuable information or provide the group an inroad to the community. She planned to follow suit with the rest of her crew once things died down in Seattle. You gave out an amused huff at the memory, severely doubting Isaac would let such prize out of his sights for any length of time.

Putting your binoculars back in your bag, you turn in the direction of the radio tower. You figured you might as well try your luck at one of their regular stops. Making your way down the rocky slope, you squeeze through a gap between two boulders. If you hurried, you should make it in time to catch them.

You had no idea what you were going to say to the group once you found them. A town this size was sure to attract attention far and wide and you only hoped new arrivals were a regular enough occurrence that you wouldn’t be too out of place. You had almost arrived when you heard the familiar screeching of infected. Pulling your gun from your waistband, you picked up the pace and began running full pelt towards the tower. Looks like opportunity found you.


	2. Welcome to Jackson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having arrived on the outskirts of Jackson, Aurora has set out to encounter a patrol group from the town and meets them earlier than expected.

You vaulted over the small chain-link gate and skidded to a halt outside the doorway. Taking a moment to steady yourself, you slowly turned your head to peer around the frame. Bodies littered the floor, gunshots coming from around the corner. 

“Eugene! EUGENE!” you heard a voice call out. The owner of the voice came running around the corner, turning in circles. “Eugene!”

You watched her head towards the small room in the corner. Through the cracks in the wall, you could see she was desperately searching for someone. So much so, she hadn’t noticed the clicker approaching the room. 

“Eug-“ Before the girl could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by a high pitch screech. She barely made it to the door in time, slamming it shut and throwing her body weight behind it. The door trembling under the force of the blows. The girl had turned around, desperately pressing up against the door with her palms. 

It’s no good, you thought. The door would come off its hinges any second, there was no way she was going to be able to hold it much longer. You took a look around the room, inching your way forward you were able to take advantage of the clicker’s distraction. Wrapping one arm around its throat, you flicked your knife open with your other hand and it deep into its head. You released your grip and watched it fall to the floor, its earlier screeches dying in its throat. Wiping your knife across your trouser leg, you turned towards the door and came face to face with the young girl you saw earlier. She couldn’t be more than 15 you realised. Her dark hair was pulled back in a bun, with stray curls escaping. Her brown eyes were still wide with fear. She was sucking in air, her chest heaving with exertion. 

“Hey, you ok?” you asked. 

“Y-yeah,” she breathed out. Finally turning towards you, she shook her head. “Thanks for the save,” she said, nodding to the body on the floor. 

You smiled, “Don’t mention it.” You put your knife back in your pocket and went to reach your hand towards her. “I’m-“

You heard the footsteps racing towards you before you saw the figure. Pushing the girl back into the room, you took the full force of the impact from the body hurtling towards you, your head colliding with the wall behind you. Slightly dazed, you were vaguely aware of the girl in the room scrambling to her feet, trying to load her gun to take down the infected on top of you. You were desperately ducking the blows coming towards your face and after a few unsuccessful attempts, you were able to kick it off you. Seizing the opportunity, you grabbed your gun from your waistband and shot the guy between the eyes. You let your arm fall to the floor and closed your eyes for a second.

A low whistle sounded from somewhere to your left. “Impressive” a deep voice rumbled from somewhere across the room. 

You blinked slowly trying to clear your head. The girl from earlier was crouched at your side, her forehead creased in concern. “Hell of an entrance, right?” 

A bark of laughter echoed through the room causing the girl next to you to turn around. Her eyes narrowed to slits. 

“Where the hell have you been! I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” She admonished, whilst placing her hands on your shoulders and easing you to sit up against the wall. You guessed this must have been the Eugene she was searching for.

Unfazed, you saw the older man walk towards you. You guessed he was in his 70s. He had long, greying curly hair that was tied haphazardly off his face. He had a hulking stature, like a grizzly bear. The only thing that put you slightly at ease was the grin on his face. “Don’t know if you noticed kid, but we had a few uninvited guests.” 

“Yeah, no shit! Why do you think I was trying to find you? You can’t just wander off on your own anymore.” The girl sounded frustrated. 

“You can chew me out later ok? You don’t need to worry about me so much.” 

“I always worry about you.”

The man looked at her with a warm fondness and ruffled her hair. Slapping his hands away, the girl turned back towards you.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name before, I’m Dina, this is Eugene.”

“Aurora” you offered with a small wave. 

Eugene offered his hand out to you and eased you to your feet. “How’s your head? You took quite the hit there.”

“I’ve had worse.” You brought your hand to the back of your head. It was tender and there would be a lump there tomorrow, but you’d live. You looked down at your hand and saw blood. 

“You’re bleeding,” Dina exclaimed, her hands immediately going to your head to try and assess your injury.

“Honestly, it’s fine.” You reassured her.

Eugene shook his head, “Just let her do her fussing, it’ll make her feel better.” You chose to take Eugene’s advice and suffered in silence whilst your head was turned this way and that. 

“It doesn’t look too bad, but I think we should bring her back to town with us, let the doc check her over. You saved my life, let me help you.” 

“If you’re sure it’s not too much trouble, Iead the way.”

You followed Eugene and Dina to the back of the building where their horses were waiting. You climbed up with Eugene and Dina led the way. 

“What brings you out here then, kid?” Eugene asked. 

“I was passing through, made my way down from Seattle. Things were heading south, and I got out whilst I still could. I’ve been holed up in the mansion not far from here for the past few days. I was planning on trying my look in the town a bit further out, was on my way there when I heard the noise from the tower.”

You heard a small hum from Eugene. “Yeah, not a lot of good news from that way for the past few years. Is it as bad as they say?”

“Worse. QZ went to hell years back. Militias took over and it’s been all-out war from there.”

“Well, I for one am glad you’re here, you saved my ass,” Dina called from over her shoulder. 

“You were handling yourself just fine before I got there, I saw all those infected you took out. Impressive.” 

“Thanks.” She smiled.

“So, where exactly is it you’re taking me?” You asked.

“We’re from a settlement about 5 minutes away, a town called Jackson. We have food and supplies so you can stock yourself up. We have electricity too, so there’s a warm shower with your name on it if you’d like” said Dina.

“Well, I can hardly say no to that. I appreciate all the help though if there’s anything I can do to help you guys out, just say the word.”

“You saved Dina’s life, that’s payment enough. But if you’re offering a helping hand, I’m sure Maria won’t say no,” said Eugene. 

“Who’s Maria?” you asked.

“She runs the joint along with her husband Tommy. We all try and do our bit to help out. We shouldn’t be too much longer now.”

Making your way through the forest, you took in the scenery surrounding you. The town was bordered by dense forests and towering mountains, small streams meandering through the forest. After a lifetime of staring at rundown cities and dilapidated buildings, it was a nice change. 

You broke through the edge of the forest, the town walls towering above you. Dina signaled at someone to open the gates.

“Welcome to Jackson” 

*** 

“Can someone get Maria, let her know we have a new arrival needing medical attention!” Eugene called down from the horse as you rode through the gates, causing what felt like a swarm of people to surround you. 

“What happened out there?” One woman asked as she reached to help you down off the horse.  
“We got into a bit of a tight spot over at the radio tower, newbie here helped get us out in one piece.”

“Then we’re mighty grateful to you,” the woman nodded at you, “Maria radioed through, get yourself on over to see the doc, Maria will meet you there.” She then stepped around you to take the reins from Dina.

“Why don’t you show Aurora to doc’s Dina?” said Eugene “Make sure she gets there ok.”  
Dina beckoned you to follow her “This way.”

Thanking Eugene for the ride, you set off after Dina.

“See you around newbie, stay outta trouble!” Eugene laughed from behind you.

You and Dina took the main road into the town. Jackson had looked vast from your view at the mansion, yet it still seemed bigger than you expected. Houses lined each side of the road, identical in shape and size. They were surrounded by white picket fences and garden paths were adorned with lampposts. Children whirled around you, chasing each other down the street whilst parents were trying to corral them into the school, husbands, and wives waving each other goodbye before starting their day. Each moment was a little reminder of life before and you couldn’t help but find it bizarre. You hadn’t realised how odd the concept of living a day-to-day life had become to you. Sensing your thoughts, Dina asked if you were ok. 

“Yeah, I guess-I guess I’m just not used to normalcy anymore.” You admitted.

“I couldn’t sleep for the first few weeks I arrived here. I was convinced it was too good to be true. I thought the town would turn out to be a bunch of weirdos, or maybe they just weren’t as secure as they thought and everything would go to shit like it always does,” revealed Dina. “When you’ve spent your life surviving, it’s hard to let your guard down.” 

You nodded as you carried on your route towards town. You took notice of the various buildings as you passed, a community hall, blacksmiths, a bar. They were set up to last here. Just as the two of you approached the first cross street, Dina paused outside of a building on the street corner.

“This is the place, you can head on in, Dr. Stevens is expecting you and Maria will be here anytime soon.” You watched Dina fidget a bit before she said, “Thank you, for back at the tower, I owe you one.”

You smiled toward her, “Don’t mention, after helping me out today, we’re more than even.” 

If only she realised how much of a help she had been. 

***

Forty minutes and a set of stitches later, you returned to Dr. Stevens’ waiting room, with strict orders to take it easy over the next few days. You soon realised you weren’t the only one here. There was now a woman occupying a chair by the reception. She had shoulder-length blonde hair and was flicking through a magazine from the coffee table. Your eyes zeroed in on her wedding ring, this must be Maria. Noticing your arrival, the new woman rose to meet you, picking up the pack at her feet. 

“You must be Aurora, I’m Maria,” she greeted whilst shaking your hand, “heard you saved two of our guys from some trouble today.”

“Trust me, it was more a case of being in the right place at the right time. Dina had herself handled just fine before I got there.”

“All the same, it was lucky for us that you were there. I’ve brought you a change of clothes and some other bits and pieces, I figured you’d like to freshen yourself up after today.”

You took the pack from Maria, “Thank you.”

“We have a room for you in our halls for you to stay in whilst you recover. Before we go there though, I’m going to have to look through your bag and ask you to hand over your weapons whilst you stay here.” Maria led you over to one of the side rooms, holding the door open for you. 

You hadn’t expected anything less, but the idea still didn’t sit well with you. You were happy to hand over your guns, but you didn’t want to be totally defenseless. You’d been the new girl before; it didn’t always go well.

As you entered the room, you heard Dr. Stevens call after Maria. Offering you an apologetic look, Maria asked you to wait in the room until she returned. Sitting down you quickly took your knife out of your pocket and placed this at the bottom of the pack. You paused for a moment, waiting to see if you could hear any movement in the hall. Hearing no voices, you opened your own bag and unzipped the bottom compartment. Pulling out a phone you put this alongside your knife in your new bag. 

You had just finished closing the bag when Maria re-entered. The rest of the search went smoothly. Maria took both of your guns and your set of knives, promising these would be looked after and you could have them returned once you left. Upon looking through your bag, Maria found your book of poetry.

“You’ll have to visit our town library, not the best selection but you might be able to find something of interest.”

“Well, I doubt I’ll be cleared to do much more than reading for a while. I’ll make sure I check it out. 

“You’re welcome to stay here until you’re rested and back on your feet,” said Maria, “I think it’s about time I showed you to your room and let you get rested.”

You followed Maria back to the main street and she led you towards a large rectangular building which was joined to the school you had passed with Dina earlier. Entering through the wooden double doors, you saw they opened onto a large hall set up with tables and benches with the kitchen located at the back of the room. 

“This is the dining hall,” Maria explained to you. “The kitchen serves up breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You followed Maria through a door to your left. “The rooms are just upstairs.” You followed her down the hallway and went up the small staircase and you arrived in a decent sized hallway with rooms on either side. Maria pointed to the bottom of the corridor and indicated this was where the showers and toilets were located on the floor. You walked past various rooms before Maria paused at a door, “This is you, it’s not much but you should be comfortable.”

Stepping through, the doorway, you got a good look at the room. It was smaller than you had at the arena for sure but that didn’t bother you. It was painted a warm beige, the light giving a better impression of space. You almost had too much room in Seattle and nothing to fill this with. This felt cozy, the few possessions you had wouldn’t look out of place here. There was a standard single bed on the right-hand side of the room. In front of you was a small window, offering you a view of the local bar and main street through the town. In front of the window was a desk, alarm clock, and a small lamp. At least you could read at all hours now you thought with a smile. To the left of the room was a corkboard, shelf, and dresser. 

“It’s more than I expected and more than I’ve had in the past, so you won’t get any complaints from me.”

Maria lightened, “I wanted to invite you to dinner if you felt up to it, to say thank you again for today.”

“If you’re promising food, I’ll be there.” You really just wanted to go to bed, the pain in your head was starting to throb.

“I’ll leave you to get settled then. Our house is just to the right of the greenhouses off the main street. Painted a pale blue, can’t miss it. See you at 6.” With that Maria left shutting the door behind her. 

You looked at the clock on your nightstand, you had 6 hours to get yourself into some kind of order. 

However, Maria wasn’t kidding. After weeks of travel and a fight with infected, a shower was the first thing on your agenda.


	3. How to make Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for the huge delay! I'm quickly learning that as much as I love writing, it does not always come easily (same with my concentration!). 
> 
> Updates might be slightly scattered but rest assured they will come! I hope you enjoy this lastest chapter!

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, you were dragging a comb through your hair, trying to make yourself somewhat presentable. After Maria had left, you decided to rest for a few hours to ease your creeping headache. You woke up 5 hours later and decided to finally take a shower. The hot water a luxury you had not been afforded in many years. Washing away 3 weeks’ worth of grime instantly helped you feel lighter, the warm water soothing the tension from your muscles. You had put on the new clothes Maria had given you, a pair of black jeans paired with an unbuttoned khaki denim blouse with a black tank top underneath. Looking at your reflection, you had managed to get your shoulder-length curls in some sort of ordered and decided this was as good as it was going to get. It was 17:45 and Maria and Tommy would be expecting you soon, picking up your jacket, you made your way downstairs. 

The hall was slowly filling up. Some cursory glances were thrown your way as you made your way through, but it seemed as though everyone’s attention was on the table hidden in the far corner of the hall. A young girl sat there, her eyes rimmed red. Dina sat next to her, a comforting hand placed on the girl’s shoulder. She looked devastated; Dina’s whispered words of reassurance appeared not to register with the redhead who continued to stare lifelessly ahead. Eugene was right though, Dina was a mother hen, her eyes never left her friend and she had already told two people to get lost for staring at her. Catching her eye, you gave her a small wave. Dina whispered something to her friend and headed over to you.

“Hey, how have you settled in? I wanted to come check and see you after dinner, but something came up with my friend.” Dina explained.

“Maria made sure I was settled, and I was able to rest. How about your friend, is she ok?”

“She’ll be ok. I would ask you to join us, but I don’t think my friend is in the mood for company.” 

“No, it’s fine, I need to be heading off anyway, Maria invited me over for dinner and I think I’m running late! I’ll let you get back to your friend, I hope she feels better soon.”

You exited the hall via the rear double doors. A blast of cool air hit you as you stepped outside, and you pulled your jacket tighter to you. The town was now illuminated as day slowly turned to night. Fairy lights were strewn through the town, adding another layer of charm. You were that busy admiring the town that you didn’t notice the figure in front of you before you collided with them. 

“Sorry! I was in a little world of my own then” you apologised. Looking up, you saw that you had bumped into a man who appeared to be around your age. He had short, trimmed black hair with deep brown eyes. He was at least a head taller than you, but considering that you just barely reached 5 foot, that wasn’t hard. He reached out to steady you and was grinning crookedly at your words.

“No harm done, how about you? I don’t want to be the guy who beat up the new girl” he said as he let go of your arms. 

“How do you know I’m the new girl?”

“Well, between the lost looks, the fact I’ve never seen you before and that you’re the talk of the town, I thought I’d take a shot. I’m Carter, by the way, my dad Seth runs the bar just there” he pointed over your shoulder to the building on the corner. “I help out in the evenings, you should come over, I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

“That’s nice of you to offer but I’m actually on my way to Maria’s, she invited me over for a welcome to town dinner.”

“How about tomorrow? I usually start at 6?”

Cynically you thought he seemed over-eager to help you but he seemed nice enough. If he was willing to tell you more about the town you weren’t going to stop him, you might be able to learn something useful to send back to Abby. 

“Alright, thank you,” you said as Carter fell into step beside you “shouldn’t you be getting back to the bar?” 

“Are you kidding? My dad would never let me hear the end of it if I let a lady walk through town on her own at night. Now come on, pick up the pace, you don’t want to be late.”

You navigated the winding streets before coming to a neat alcove of houses, each the double of the other. 

“What brings you to Jackson?” Carter asked as you walked down the street. 

“Luck, more than anything. I was headed to the town North of here for supplies when I found Dina and Eugene at the radio tower. We kinda helped each other out of a jam. I got my head knocked pretty bad and Dina ordered me to come back.”

He laughed at that “I swear that girl was a magpie in another life, she’d collect all the strays in the world if she could.”

“Way to give a girl a compliment,” you said with a snort.

Carter had the decency to look abashed. A blush crept up his neck and tinted the bottom of his ears pink. “I uh-, I just mean, I’m sure she’ll have been glad to help. She’s been a nervous wreck whilst Ellie was missing. She took off a day or so ago in the middle of the night, gave everyone quite the scare.”

“What made her take off like that?”

“I’m not sure,” Carter shrugged, “but things have been souring between her and Joel for a while now. The guy is was way too overprotective of her, breathing down her neck every 2 minutes. I can’t bear to be around the guy for longer than 5 minutes, can’t imagine how it is to live with him. Poor kid probably just needed a break.”

You wondered what had caused the tension between the two of them. After everything Abby said they’d been through, you assumed that they were close. Not that you blamed Joel though, if you were responsible for the cure for mankind, you wouldn’t want her out of your sight either. Carter clearly didn’t think much of Joel either, but you didn’t get the chance to asked before you were interrupted. 

“Now Carter, if you keep going ‘round giving such glowing reviews about everyone in town, Aurora here won’t be able to leave fast enough” came a Texas drawl. You turned to see a man dressed in a denim jacket and jeans, his blonde hair scraped back in a bun. His beard provided slight cover to the smirk evidenced in his earlier words. You turned to look at Carter, his blush from earlier had returned ten-fold. 

“I better be getting back. I’ll see you around.” He couldn’t have walked away any faster if he had tried. 

“Nice kid but he doesn’t know when to stop talking.” The figure smiled at you, “I’m Tommy, Maria was starting to get worried, thought I’d make sure you were ok.” 

“I’m sorry, it’s completely my fault, I got a little distracted and Carter offered to walk me over” you explained as you followed Tommy down the street. 

“I’m sure he did, that boy is as bad as an old fishwife when it comes to town gossip. I hope he didn’t put you off too much.”

Opening the door, Tommy stood aside for you to enter and you were lost for words. Photographs and paintings decorated the entryway walls and followed the stairs to the floor above. The tables in the hallway and living room were home to fresh flowers, their fragrance filling the air. You hadn’t seen a home so lived in since you left your childhood home behind over 20 years ago. The likeness momentarily stole your breath.

Tommy had paused by the doorway and was assessing you with concern, making you clear your throat.

“Your home is beautiful; it reminds me of my old home back in Chicago.”

His regard softened immediately as he walked you to the kitchen, “It was all Maria, I was under strict instruction to not touch a damn thing.”

“Do not let him make you feel sorry for him, he was only too happy to agree,” Maria called from the stove. 

“Do you need a hand with anything? I can take plates through or set the table.”

Maria kindly swatted your offers away and shepherded you to the dining room to wait out the final preparations. There were more pictures on the walls, but your eyes were drawn to picture frame on the sideboard showing Tommy and Maria with an older man and the red-head from earlier who you now knew was Ellie. Your heart gave a small, empathetic pang. She had clearly made quite an impression on the family and had been welcomed with open arms. On either side of the frame was a wooden sculpture, a Texas longhorn, and a monarch butterfly. They were beautifully crafted and looked hand-painted. 

“They’re my brother’s work, his new hobby” Tommy’s words interrupted your thoughts.

“He’s very talented.”

“For your own sake don’t let him hear that, he’ll spend the whole day explain the benefits of pine over oak and what varnish gives the best finish. I’d also prefer if his ego didn’t inflate to the size of Texas.”

You did laugh at that. 

“How did you end up out this way?” Tommy asked as you both walked to the table. 

“I’m on my way back East, After the outbreak, I lived there for a long time. I’m hoping I still have some old contacts there. I’ve been in Seattle for the past few years but the situation there is becoming a lot more volatile.”

Tommy grimaced in agreement, “You don’t hear many good things about Seattle these days. The traders we get through here say the militias are getting more active. What made you go there?”

Before you could answer, a knock from the door rang through the house. Excusing himself from the table, Tommy retreated to the front door. Voices echoed down the hallway, but you were unable to make out the hushed murmurings. Footsteps joined the voices, traveling closer to the dining room. When Tommy opened the door, he was no longer alone, a figure following him half a step behind. Whoever it was still hadn’t faced you and refused to meet your gaze, staring resolutely at the kitchen floor. 

“Sorry about that Aurora,” Tommy apologised as he walked back to the new arrival. Clasping them on the shoulder he introduced you. “This is my brother Joel. I hope you don’t mind if he joins us.”


End file.
